Ruslan Gelayev

Ruslan Hamzat Gelayev (1964-28 February 2004) was a well-respected and ruthless fighter who was loyal to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria during the Chechen Wars.

Biography
Gelayev was born in the Chechen-Ingush ASSR of the Soviet Union in 1964, and joined the Mujahideen in the 1990s. He fought in the Georgian-Abkhazian War on the side of Georgia, fighting against the army of Russia and Abkhazia. Using his experience in the Spetsnaz to his advantage, he was a well-respected and ruthless leader of the Mujahideen and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's armed forces during the Second Chechen War.

Death
Gelayev led an army of Chechens into neighboring Dagestan, where he hoped to gather more fighters to join his cause and resist the Russians. However, he was attacked in the mountains by the Border Guard Service of Russia, and 30 of his men were killed, while 15 Russian troops were gunned down. Gelayev's arm was shot off by a Russian helicopter, but he shot two border guards and made it to a lake, where he died from exposure.